That was {so} sweet of you

 I made this card back when I first got this adorable bubblegum machine die cut and coordinating stamps. I was a little obsessed so I didn't want to bombard you with lots of bubblegum cards. I do have another one to share, but I'll wait until I post everything I did for Teacher Appreciation Week...one of these days! LOL! I made this card for a friend after she lent us her garden tiller. I gave her the card and a box of chewy Sweetarts and it looked so cute together.

 I totally love the addition of the glittery gold bow at the top of the bubblegum machine. I just couldn't resist; even though she doesn't love bows. She did forgive me, because after all, I gave her candy! The gumballs were all diecut and then I added a layer of glossy accents to give them the shine of a bubblegum ball. I loved how they turned out. I also added some crystal clear sequins as well for a little more sparkle.The sentiment was also heat embossed using gold embossing powder.

I grabbed a couple of bubblegum machine birthday gift sacks at the dollar store the other day. I can't wait to make some cards to go with those as well. Thanks for fluttering by!

There's no place like home!

Before I begin, I wanted to let you know I posted a little project over on Thimbles and Thread if you're interested. I made it for a baby shower last month and never got around to posting it until now. If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen it.

Okay, on to today's project; A new family moved into our culdesac and I wanted to send a little welcome goody and card over to them. I had so much fun with the leaf garland on my last card, I thought I would use it again.  To begin, I created a card base using Kraft card stock. Then I created a wood grain background using the wood grain impression plate from PTI. I just love the look and feel it gives the card. Once I had that done, I got to work die cutting all of the other pieces. I also used the PTI set, Boards and Beams, which is one of my favorites but I don't have the chance to use it a lot.

 The leaf garland was cut using Sage Shadow card stock and then the flowers are Aqua mist, Cameo Corral and yellow. The house and topiary plants were cut out of white card stock. The house was colored using Prismacolor and Copic markers. The topiary plants were selectively inked using a sage shadow and chocolate chip Stampin' Write marker.

I really wanted to add this sentiment but didn't want to cover up any of the fun details. I chose to stamp it using StazOn ink onto a strip of acetate for a seamless look. I also added a bit of black baker's twine and some sequins.

For the goody, I made a quick box out of Kraft card stock. I stamped white polka dots over the front panel using Polka Dot basics from PTI. I actually used this set again on a cute summer banner I made the other day which I will be sharing soon. The bow....I just love the bow. I used the wood grain impression plate again on the bow to tie it in nicely to the card. Isn't that a fun touch? I haven't seen that done before, but I'm sure it has been and I am late to the party! Ha ha! The tag was heat embossed using gold embossing powder.  The "hello" sentiment is from Graceful Greetings and it has become a fast favorite. I stamped the flowers that also come in the set with the same colors I used on the card for continuity. I filled it up with yummy chocolate and got it over to them ASAP! Thanks for fluttering by!

The {wedded bliss} club

 Hello! I was super excited for some new goodies to arrive  in the mail this week. I really wanted to use this leaf garland and flower die.  I  found out that a sweet lady in my neighborhood wasn't feeling well, so I thought I would send her a little card to cheer her up. Once I was done, I set the card aside so I could mail it out. Well, Emma came home from dance and announced that one of her teachers was having a bridal shower at the studio the next day. Aack! I sat and looked at the card I had just made and thought how in the world could I make it into a bridal card..???...Hurray for super old SU! stamps that I just happened to use for the inside sentiment of my previous card. The "welcome to the wedded bliss club" sentiment was the perfect fit with the larger "Hello" that I had already embossed.

 I wanted to balance the blue color so I stamped the sentiment with versamark ink and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder to match the "Hello" onto Aqua Mist cardstock. You can also see that I added some white dots using a galaxy marker onto portions of the leaves.

 On this photo, you can see some of the flower centers a little better. I added some stamens to two of the flowers using some synthetic ones that I have had from Impress for YEARS. It is so nice to actually use some of the things I have been hoarding for such a long time.

After I had die cut the leaf garland, I thought the negative space looked like a monster. I cut two and let Rowan and Rhys decorate them with googlie eyes and pom poms. They had a lot of fun! Ha Ha!

I added a length of black baker's twine for the finishing touch. Emma's teacher thought it was adorable and asked if I had an Etsy shop where she could buy more cards. I guess I should look into that. Thanks for fluttering by!

Reach for the highest {star}

It's graduation season and  I needed a card for my nephew. Since I don't own a single graduation set, I had to get creative. I knew that there were some sentiments in PTI's "Star Prints" that would work nicely. As soon as I picked out the one I wanted, I thought that some clouds would be the perfect addition. I made a baby card recently (which I will be sharing soon) that incorporated some of these same ideas so I got straight to work. I kept things simple and clean since it is for a young man.

 The clouds were inked lightly with white ink just around the edges for a more realistic look. I used both sizes included in the "Up, Up and Away" set from PTI, another oldie but goody. I stamped the two large stars in black ink onto kraft cardstock for a more seamless look. I wanted some dimension so I punched them out rather than stamping them directly onto the card base. Once that was done, I added the strip of pattern paper to the side as well as some gold glitter paper. I really hesitated to add it since it was for a boy, but I thought that it added just enough without being too much.

I stamped the smaller stars with gold ink and then added sequins to complement the gold touches and give a little more shine. I mean, graduation is kind of a big deal and I think some sparkle is in order. I had fun making this card and I hope my nephew likes it...and even if he doesn't, I'm sure he'll like the cash inside. Ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!
P.S.My son will be a Junior next school year which means I will have lots of need for a great graduation set in the near future. What's your favorite?

Make a {wish}

 Tomorrow is the last day of school....I can't believe I made it! Ha Ha! My kids had a great year and I'm so proud of them! Here's another card from the bridal shower gift I made. This one is bright and fun and would be perfect for any age or gender. Now I'm wishing I made two of everything...one for me, one for her!

 I mixed some old and new stamps for a fun and happy design. The star is from PTI's "Star Prints" which I just love and use quite a bit. The "make a wish" portion is from PTI's "Celebrate Good Times" set and coordinating die. The "candles" are from the birthday sentiments set. I'm actually not sure what this particular image is "supposed" to be, but for me it is a great way to create candles. I add the star image which is included for the flame.

The circles were pierced with a paper piercer and an old SU! classy brass template. Once they were pierced, I punched them out with a circle punch. I always like the detail that it gives.

The finishing touches: some baker's twine, glossy accents to the "wish" diecut and some washi tape at the bottom. You can see part of the gift bag that I was inspired by. Thanks for fluttering by!
P.S. I have some new goodies coming in the mail tomorrow that I can't wait to play with.